FIA reaches out to three hospitality programs

Foodservice Institute of America (FIA) members recently visited three hospitality programs—the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University and the International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Pleasantville, N.J.—to introduce FIA to students, staff and faculty, and to offer insights into the opportunities in the industry.

Addressing a large crowd at each school, professional members of FIA discussed the diversity of the hospitality/foodservice industry and shared personal stories about developing leadership in such areas as technology, sales, distribution and consulting. The presentation of these careers only scratched the surface of the potential futures waiting for students who are working towards various degrees, the FIA members said.

Dr. Gong-Soog Hong, department chair for Consumer Sciences at the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University, felt that FIA's mission was a mirror image of his department's own mission and the overall mission of the University. FIA and Ohio State will be developing an opportunity to conduct an on campus symposium in 2010.

FIA also will be engaging in translational research that is meaningful for the industry in the next year and partnering with these three programs is a first step. Student membership in FIA is free to those enrolled in a related program. If a program would like to have FIA members speak to classes, faculty and/or staff, call their offices at 609.645.3131 or e-mail Executive Director Marsha Diamond at marsha@fia-us.org.

Chef-instructor at the Art Institute of Atlanta wins Ocean Spray's Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest

Chef Justin Ward—a member of the culinary faculty at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta, as well as the owner of Leapfrog Restaurant Solutions and chef/owner of Hungry Monkey Catering—was the $25,000 foodservice-category winner of Ocean Spray's Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest. Ward's winning original recipe was pork tenderloin with cranberry molé and cranberry salsa.

The winners were announced on October 7 at a private cocktail party that coincided with the debut of Ocean Spray's 2008 "Bogs Across America" tour in New York City, where about 2,000 pounds of cranberries were on display in a free-standing urban bog.

"Ocean Spray originally launched the Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest to celebrate the versatility of the cranberry year-round," said Larry Martin, vice president of marketing at Ocean Spray. "This year, contestants found even more creative ways to use the cranberry in their dishes. The originality and impressive variety of the recipes submitted showcased the talents of our home cooks and professional chefs and bartenders across the country and the wide range of uses for the fruit's unique flavor."